Darren Hayman attacked in Nottingham (updated)

Darren Hayman was attacked Friday in Nottingham, according to his friend and sometime bandmate Jack Hayter. Hayman was mugged after his performance at The Bodega and "hospitalised as a result of being kicked rather heavily about the head," Hayter tweeted last night.

According to more tweets Hayman is recovering and doing well in hospital, although the remaining dates of this weekend's mini-tour are obviously canceled.

An awful irony is that before the show Hayman himself had tweeted, "I'm in nottingham. Most violent city in uk im told." It seems someone was of a mind to prove it.

Hayman, based in London, was on the road promoting his excellent album with the Secondary Modern, Pram Town. Our best goes out to Darren for a speedy recovery.

UPDATE: Darren's wife Helen explains what happened and thanks everyone for their concern here.

Hefner on the Greater London Radio

Darren Hayman and Jack Hayter, two of the four chaps formerly from Hefner, will be on BBC 6 Music tonight at 8pm GMT, talking about and playing a bit of their fine 2000 album We Love the City. Hayman also has a great post up today reminiscing about Hayter and their work together. You could be forgiven for thinking a full-on Hefner reunion was in the works, but Hayman shoots that down pretty definitively: "I don’t care if it’s Pavement, Pixies or Skunk Afuckingnansie, all reformations have cheapened the band in some way. I can’t think of anyone who has pulled it off. Apart from Take That of course."

I don't necessarily think it would be such a bad idea--look at how the Go-Betweens and the Orchids quite respectably picked up where they left off after extended hiatuses. If the four of them still have something to say, and aren't bullshitting us, I don't see why it couldn't work.

Surely, anything Take That can do, Hefner can do better.